From a Snowy Cave
by Dragon Silhouette
Summary: AU - A mysterious, white-haired boy has been found in the mountains of Rukongai. Who is he? What connection does he have with the legendary Heavenly Guardian? What about those rumors that the "reincarnation" of the Hougyoku has finally found a new host?
1. Dragons in the Cave

**Hi. So... This plot bunny has been hopping around my mind for a couple of months now... And finally, I gave in to the temptation and wrote the first chapter. I probably should be concentrating on Deviation, but I can't help it! I spend my nights daydreaming (nightdreaming?) about possible ideas for this story.**

**Rated T -just in case. AU.  
**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, Toshiro would be the main character, with Ikkaku and Yumichika as his sidekicks.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Dragons in a Cave**

Retsu Unohana picked some coltsfoot from the banks of the stream and placed it on the basket draped over her elbow. "Good for coughs," she murmured. She looked around. The mountains of Rukongai was stunning this year. Combined with the fresh air and spring season, the medicinal herbs (especially the rarer ones) were thriving in the afternoon sun. She admired the tall fireweed growing along the banks, its pink petals contributing colour to the scenery.

The Captain of the Fourth Division was taking some time off, with the permission of Head Captain Yamamoto. She decided to spend this rare occasion gathering herbs in the mountains of Rukongai. She spied some arctic willow growing near a patch of trees. _Strange_, she thought. _Arctic willows usually grow in colder climates. What is this one doing here?_

She knelt down and examined the misplaced herb. It seemed to be growing quite well.

_Maybe it is just a natural phenomenon,_ she reasoned. _After all, I've never explored this part of the mountains before. But still... This should not be here._

She stood up and examined the area. She saw a clump of bearberries growing near some rocks. _That too is mislaid. It is often found in the arctic, subarctic, or temperate vicinity. _She selected a few leaves of the bearberry plant and put it in her basket. _Good for tea, at least._

She scanned the surrounding mountains, hunting for any strange sights. The peak of one of the mountains seemed to be experiencing too much snowfall, but other than that, everything was normal...

Retsu extended her senses, flaring her reiatsu out a bit. She was surprised to feel a faint reiatsu responding. It seemed to be coming from the snowy mountain. She wondered how anyone so far up there could feel her reiatsu from where she stood.

Following her senses, she followed the weak reiatsu, which was getting stronger as she progressed. As she went higher up the mountain, she felt the curious sensation of leaving the early spring and entering the coming of winter.

An hour later, she arrived at a cave hidden deep within the mountains, the kind that one only ever found by accident. If she hadn't trailed the reiatsu, she doubted she would have spotted it even if she spent her whole life searching for it. The opening to the cave was big, the arch covered with a thin sheet of ice. The surrounding pine trees were weighed down by sparkling white snow. This close to the entrance, the wintry reiatsu she was following felt extraordinarily powerful.

Retsu entered the cave. She was aware of the chilly power emanating from deep within. Inside, it was curiously bright, as if being lighted by some unknown light source. Examining the ice lining the walls, she realized that the angles were perfectly positioned as to reflect maximum sunlight from the outside. _Clever_, she thought.

She strolled deeper into the cave. After about a minute of walking, she noticed that the ice on the walls were more elegant, more finely formed than the rough ice near the entrance. Another minute of walking brought her to a cavern. Retsu stared, and stared, and dropped her basket.

It was a magnificent sight. The ceiling was swathed in ice, gracefully engraved with an imitation of the night sky. The walls were enveloped with thick carvings of ivy whittled from ice above the thinner layer of frost. All around the room were various sculptures of intricate designs: flowers, trees, animals, and most noticeably, dragons. Dragons, in all sizes, dotted the huge cavern. Some were even hanging in the air, suspended by slender, fragile-looking stalactites. Mounds of snow were scattered randomly in corners of the cave.

Retsu gaped at the scenery, unable to believe that something like this could have been made naturally.

**Of course not,** Minazuki chided. **Someone is probably living here. That is the only explanation for these obviously man-made sculptures.**

Retsu nodded unconsciously, then scrutinized the room, carefully keeping her reiatsu hidden. Her eyes drifted from sculpture to sculpture, finally resting on a large dragon that looked different than the rest. It was more realistic, more detailed than the others. It also seemed to be... breathing?

The captain caught her breath. _Is it alive?_

The dragon was curled up, its eyes closed shut. Its long, scaly body was shimmering in the sunlight reflected from the entrance, a sparkling effigy amongst dull carvings. Retsu approached the creature, silent footsteps treading the smooth stone floor. She raised a hand, then dropped it, resisting the urge to feel the scales that looked both tough and delicate at the same time.

The dragon grunted. Retsu froze. The air suddenly felt tense.

She peeked at the dragon's head. One of its eyes were open, studying her with intelligent, red eyes. A long moment passed before the captain was able to speak.

"Do you understand me?"

According to the legends, dragons were wise and ancient, one of the oldest beings in the world. If that were the case, then surely this one should be able to comprehend what she was saying.

The dragon gazed at her intently. Finally, it said, **"Yes."** Its quiet voice, decidedly male, was deep and rough, filling Retsu with the sense that the dragon was waiting for her to introduce herself.

"I am Retsu Unohana," she said.

The dragon nodded. **"I am Hyorinmaru."**

A silent minute passed. Each was looking at each other with unreadable looks.

"**I could feel your reiatsu. Are you a shinigami?"** Hyorinmaru asked.

"Yes." Retsu gestured at the sculptures. "These are very beautiful. Did you make these?"

The dragon emitted a low, gravelly sound. Laughter. **"No, I did not. My claws are much too big for such delicate work. I only helped with the initial shaping for the larger ones."**

"Really?" She bit her lip. "I cannot sense anyone else in this room."

"**That is because I am masking his presence." **Hyorinmaru lifted his head. **"I do not sense any malicious intent in you, but I cannot be sure. Do you promise to not draw your weapon while you are in this cavern?"**

"As long as you do not intend to hurt me, then yes."

"**Hm. Very well."**

Hyorinmaru unfurled himself, and the sudden movement caused his frozen scales to scrape against the icy ground, a strange grating noise that sounded like shattering ice and twinkling chimes. Within its frosty embrace sat a figure, shadowed by the dragon's shade. Retsu took a step, paused, then looked at Hyorinmaru. He nodded. She drew near the figure, which had begun to take the form of an unusually small man. She stopped when the dragon moved away from the person, and gasped. The shadows revealed not a small man, but a boy, not much older than five. He had white hair, and was clothed in loose white robes that camouflaged him in the snowy cave. He was sleeping, curled up like the dragon that had shielded him from her sight.

"Who is this?" Retsu murmured.

"**My master,"** Hyorinmaru replied, careful to keep his voice low. **"And I am his zanpakuto."**

Her head snapped up to face the dragon. "Zanpakuto?"

"**Yes."**

"But... Impossible..."

"**Quite possible, for us. We have been living here in this cave for more years than I care to count, waiting for a shinigami to lead us to the Seireitei."**

"But... You've never left this cave?"

"**No, we have not. It is better that way."**

"Why?"

The dragon blinked. "**For the protection guaranteed by secrecy from bandits and those who cause harm. Also, we do not want to cause unnecessary weather changes with our reiatsu. Here, deep in the mountains, it would not be considered strange if a sudden blizzard or storm erupted."**

"This child should be in the Seireitei. There are many people who could teach him how to control it."

"**Yes, that is why we have been waiting for a shinigami to take us there."**

"Couldn't he have gotten there by himself? Surely, with your guidance –"

"**We have thought about it in the past,"** Hyorinmaru interrupted, **"but we knew it was too risky. Just being outside this cave will cause a storm because of the uncontrolled reiatsu, and it is a long journey to the Seireitei. We would leave a trail of ice in our wake. We decided to wait for a powerful enough shinigami to help us mask our reiatsu and avoid needless damage just because we lacked the patience to wait a little more for the right shinigami to assist us."**

Retsu looked down at the child, unable to believe that such a small thing could cause untold destruction. "I suppose I could be of assistance?"

"**Yes, I hope so."**

The child chose that moment to open his eyes, revealing a startling shade of turquoise. He sat up and stared at Retsu suspiciously. He raised an eyebrow when she didn't say anything. "Are you a shinigami?"

"Yes, I am," Retsu said warmly, smiling gently.

"Are you going to hurt us?"

"No..."

The child turned to the dragon. "Is she going to take us to the Seireitei?"

The dragon nodded, then closed his eyes. He disappeared in fragments of blue light, presumably going back to the child's inner world.

The boy stood up and brushed frost from his white garment. "Are you sure you're a shinigami?"

Retsu smiled wider. "Of course."

"Good. Just checking. The last time someone said that, he tried to knock me unconscious. Hyorinmaru was forced to freeze him into a block of ice." He waved at a big block of ice residing in one of the dark corners. Indeed, there was a terrified-looking man frozen inside the ice. "Ever since then, Hyorinmaru insisted to manifest every time a visitor comes along."

Retsu tilted her head. "You have visitors?"

"Yeah. Mostly lost hikers looking for a place to sleep." He picked his way through the ice sculptures, Retsu trailing behind. "None of them were shinigami, and most of them meant no harm, so I let them stay for one night and send them off in the morning."

"That's very kind of you."

He shrugged. "Not really. The mountains are really dangerous. Lots of dangerous animals." He picked up a small figurine of a dragon and tucked it inside his robes. "I probably sent them all off to their deaths, but they can't stay here for more than a day."

"How come?"

He shrugged. "I don't exactly know. Hyorinmaru never bothered to explain it in detail. He said that they wouldn't survive if they stay around here too long because of my reiatsu. He also said that their reiatsu, however low, would have an effect on the aura and dampen the spell in this cave."

"Spell?"

"Yes. My reiatsu did it on its own. It allowed me to live without needing to leave this cave. So, no eating or drinking." He stretched. "But I like sleeping. There's nothing else to do here. I didn't really cast it intentionally. It's kind of like what you shinigami call an accidental kido spell."

"You have never needed to eat?"

"Yep. In my early days inside the cave, I couldn't find anything to eat. I was so hungry, I wished that my hunger vanished. I guess my reiatsu responded. After that, the effects came about. I didn't feel need to eat, or drink, or even sleep."

"You were asleep not five minutes ago," she pointed out.

"I was in my inner world. I hadn't slept in... I don't know."

"Hmm," Retsu contemplated as the boy stowed away more figurines. "A kido spell... I assume this is a healing spell... as it heals the physical body from the effects of hunger, thirst, and even time... I have never heard of anything like it."

"Neither have I." The boy examined a large sculpture, then decided it to be too cumbersome to bring. "I guess it's instinctual, no incantation at all."

"Yes... No incantation, definitely a healing spell." Something occurred to Retsu. "How did you know about kido in the first place?"

"Hyorinmaru told me." He stowed away a small statuette and looked around the cave. "You know, I'm going to miss this cave. It took me a long time make all those dragons. Especially the ones up there." He sighed. "Now it's just going to stay here and melt with no one to admire them."

The child started for the exit. He looked back. "Aren't you coming?"

Retsu picked up her basket of herbs and followed the boy out. "I never did learn your name. I am Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division."

"Wow, a captain. I heard that they're the some of the most powerful people in Soul Society. No wonder you don't seem bothered by my reiatsu. Everyone else just gets minor cases of frostbite when they stay too long. My name is..." He hesitated. "Hold on, I can do this..."

Retsu stopped walking. "You don't know your own name? How long have you been in this cave?"

"I don't know." His eyebrows furrowed. "Oh! I remember. I am Toshiro Hitsugaya."

* * *

**I hope you liked it...**

**The next chapter will be better, I promise. This one is really just an intro... ;)**

**See the Review button? Click it and write a few words. If not enough people like this, then I'll shorten the plot _drastically_ and make it a crappy three-shot. That way, I can concentrate on Deviation without having to feel guilty about leaving an unfinished story out there.**


	2. Dreams of Reality

**Sorry for not updating sooner. Actually, you should be thankful I'm posting this soon. So forget what I first said.**

**This one is probably not as good as the first one, since I didn't spend weeks re-reading this and making adjustments to the descriptive writing. **

**I need a beta for this. Well, not need. I can edit my own writing perfectly fine, but it doesn't hurt to have another person with opinions and suggestions. I already have one for my other story, but I don't want to burden her with this one. So yeah.**

**And another thing: I gave myself a crash course of Japanese gods a few days ago. By crash course, I mean Googling "Japanese gods" and clicking on Wikipedia. I didn't even read the entire thing. So, if there's any errors in future chapters, kindly drop a word either by review or PM. I'm only going to be using TWO Japanese gods, and only so that the plot makes sense.  
**

**Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Dreams of Reality  
**

_He slashed at the large, bulky hollow with claw pincers coming at his side. It howled, then rushed at him again. He ended the fight with a quick burst of ice and shattering it with his sword._

There's too many,_ he thought, scanning the raging valley below him. _We can't win like this.

_A tall, muscled man armed with a fiery katana stabbed the stealthy hollow sneaking up on him, engulfing it in white-hot flames. "You okay?" he asked._

"_I'm fine, Yamamoto." he replied. "Your shikai is looking well."_

_Yamamoto smiled, his unusual red eyes shining with pride. "That, it is." He turned serious once more. His stringy brown locks plastered to his forehead as he shook his head. A deep wound ran down his temple, crimson blood dripping down his face. "There's too many of them... We're losing too many men."_

_A young, teenage girl with long, dark hair ran to them, an elegant, red-handled sword strapped over her right shoulder and a white backpack on her left. She took out an ashy cloth and wiped the blood away from Yamamoto's face. "That is a deep cut."_

_Yamamoto shook his head. "Later, Unohana."_

"_No," she said firmly. She held up her hand and focused her power on the wound. Soon, the cut was gone, leaving only a faint scar to suggest it had ever been there in the first place. The worst of the wound healed, she concentrated on the other lethal-looking gashes scattered all over his body. _

_While she was fixing up Yamamoto, he swivelled around and cut the stout hollow behind him in two. "We _have_ to get through this. The Vasto Lordes are just beyond..."_

_There was a line of shadowed figures at the top of the valley, watching the battle unfolding beneath them. They were all human-sized, with strange features adorning their bodies. A claw here, a tail there..._

_They were the ringleaders of this attack. The most powerful of Hell's soldiers._

_He cursed Amatsu-Mikaboshi in his mind._

_Once Unohana had gone to mend some other injured warrior, he instructed Yamamoto to rally the men and mount a final assault. All or nothing. He faced the black figures above the valley, tightened his grip on his sword –his partner of mind and soul –and let out a savage war cry._

* * *

Toshiro woke up with a gasp.

The silvery disk of the moon was shining above him, illuminating the small glade where he and Retsu Unohana had chosen to rest. A few lonely stars twinkled above their heads.

He let out a breath and settled back down on the hard ground. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and tried to calm down.

_Why...?_

It has been two days since Retsu Unohana found him in his cave. Two days since the start of what he knew was a life more meaningful than the one he led during his forlorn days in the cave, where he had no one except his dragon and the occasional anxious hiker.

Two days since the dreams started invading his sleep.

Vivid images of war-torn lands, blood-soaked fields, and the mystifying dark figures –the Vasto Lordes –that always appeared on high ground surrounded by black ashes. The sour stench of sweat, the white-hot pain of wounds, the harsh cries of agonized men and terrible monsters clashing amidst the choking air.

He knew these were only nightmares. He _convinced_ himself that there were only nightmares.

But, deep in his heart, he knew it wasn't. He just _knew._

If only he could figure out _what_ they were.

He gazed up at the sky. He hadn't seen it since... since he first woke up and felt the effects of the kido he had wrought. He never left the cave, lest the magic that kept him alive fade away.

The very first thing he did inside the cave was to fashion a light source. With the help of his zanpakuto, he situated every curve, every angle, and every facet of the ice into perfect mirrors that provided sunlight inside the dim grotto.

Next, he carved out the sky. He had always felt a sense of connection to the heavens, a sense of belonging and safety. He attributed it to the dragon inside his mind, who had ruled the frigid skies of his inner world for as long as he can remember. He didn't think he would have stayed sane if he hadn't had the night sky above his head, even if it was colorless and artificial.

Then, for the rest of his very long days inside, he shaped his dragons. Back then, he didn't really know what people outside his cave looked like; no one had stumbled across him during those times. He thought they all had white hair and teal eyes like his. The only companionship he had was Hyorinmaru. And so, he painstakingly carved out versions of the great dragon: big and small, bulky and thin, strong and delicate. Hyorinmaru once told him that he had a human form, but he refused to show this appearance.** It isn't as big or intimidating as my true form,** he'd said. His dragons grew in number and later, the feelings of solitude that had been building up inside of him lessened a bit.

The irregular visits of lost hikers helped him cope with the isolation, but there hadn't been many of them lately. He had kept track of time by counting the number of times the sunlight muted down inside his cave. He usually expected about one or two visitors every three years, but before Unohana, he had been waiting for a trekker seeking shelter for what he estimated to be a couple of decades. The last one didn't count. He had tried to brain him from behind, and got frozen after ten minutes in the cave. He learned one thing from this encounter though: the very few battered hikers who had managed to escape the unforgiving mountains told the small villages at the foot of the mountain about him. _A spirit,_ they called him. _A white spirit of the mountain that guards the range from malevolent specters._

This particular comment made him think that the villagers were –for lack of a better word –idiots. Technically speaking, they were _all_ spirits. Don't they know that they were already dead? Even he, a mere child living in seclusion deep in the mountains, knew.

But then, he had a wise dragon to instruct him on fundamental knowledge of Soul Society.

Unohana stirred, bringing Toshiro back from his musings. The sun was already rising, painting the sky with gorgeous shades of gold, crimson, and ginger.

"Good morning," she murmured, fixing her black shihakusho and standing up. "Are you hungry?"

Toshiro nodded his head. When he stepped outside the cave for the first time in however-many years, the sensations of hunger, thirst, and fatigue hit him harder than Hyorinmaru during one of their weekly training sessions. Unohana had caught him when he collapsed and brought him inside again. The kido wasn't there anymore, and he almost passed out from his weakness. She told (forced) him to eat a few of the herbs in the basket and went out to gather some more substantial food. He had sat there, waiting, holding his stomach and struggling to stay awake.

They had to spend the night at the cave.

During their journey to the Seireitei, Unohana fed him, using her vast knowledge of edible plants around them. The woodlands were lush and full of greenery. There was never any shortage of clean streams and rivers. Slowly, Toshiro regained his strength. Right now, he was far from his best, but it was enough to continue walking without taking a break every fifteen minutes. He still had to chew on bitter herbs while walking though.

They both knew that their trip would be much faster using what Unohana called "shunpo," but she insisted that he needed to build up his strength before presenting himself to the shinigami.

Unohana dug into her reed basket and offered him a handful of nuts, berries, roots, and assorted leaves.

He took them without complaint.

"Do you want more?"

He shrugged.

"Are you going to start talking sometime soon?"

A corner of his lips twitched just a tiny bit.

Unohana smiled at her accomplishment.

Even after two days of travelling with her as his only companion, he still didn't feel comfortable enough to talk much. It was different in the cave. There, he knew he was safe; he was being protected by his dragon. He knew the best places to hide, the best places for ambush, and the best places for observation. He knew every single nook and cranny of that cavern like the back of his hand.

Out here in the unknown wilderness, accompanied by a powerful shinigami captain who can easily subdue him if she so wished –that was a different story. Added to the fact that he had seen the younger version of her in his dreams...

Unohana helped him up. "We should arrive at the edge of Rukongai somewhere around mid-morning." Her face darkened. "Be careful though. We shall have to pass through all eighty districts of West Rukongai." Catching Toshiro's inquisitive expression, she elaborated, "The districts are numbered from one to eighty. The farther away from the Seireitei, the higher the number, and the more dangerous it gets." She started walking, with Toshiro following behind her. "But we should be safe. I doubt that even thugs of the eightieth district –Nabiku Ha* –are uninformed enough to actually try attacking a captain."

* * *

For the most part, the eightieth district was quiet.

Toshiro expected the decrepit huts, the filthy streets, the menacing bloodstains on walls, and the random assortments of rust weapons littering the sidewalks.

What he didn't expect was the complete and utter silence.

Except for their soft treads, there was absolutely no sound coming from the district.

"Is it supposed to be like this?" Toshiro's murmur was like a shout in the eerie silence of the district. He realized that this was the first time he had spoken to Unohana since the cave. The hush was just so unnerving. An aura of iniquity seemed to press in on them from all sides.

"No," she murmured back. "This is... unusual." She summoned a small, black butterfly and said something under her breath. She released the butterfuly and it fluttered away, its beating wings audible in the stillness.

"I sent a message to the Head Captain," she said. "I don't know what's happening, but I have a bad feeling about this."

They made it out of the district, and the next one –compared to the uneasy tranquility of the eightieth district –was exceedingly hectic.

People were shouting and yelling, screaming out appalling obscenities and horrific threats. There were heated brawls everywhere, fists and knives and makeshift weaponry flying around. The intense environment was almost too much for Toshiro to take in. He had never seen –or heard –anything so loud and chaotic.

Somehow, Unohana weaved through the frenzied scuffles, sticking to the abundant shadows and alleys.

Once, a rather fat man holding a bottle stumbled across their path. He took one look at Unohana and her white haori, stammered something unintelligible, and took off in the opposite direction.

They made it out of the seventy-ninth district –Shuryo Hagewashi** –unscathed. Unohana had shielded Toshiro with her reiatsu, containing his wild power and preventing it from affecting the weather and everyone around him.

They passed through the districts, each one slightly less turbulent than the last. They didn't stop for the night; the inns were scattered, rundown, and hazardous.

Three days of non-stop walking straight through the seventy-nine districts led them to Junrinan, the most peaceful district in West Rukongai. Unohana smiled at everyone, who bowed reverently and left casting awed looks. A few of the more attentive souls shot him curious looks, but was otherwise unnoticed.

They approached a massive wall, easily dwarfing the houses that surrounded the divider. A large, heavy gate was the only visible way of going through to the other side.

"This is the wall that separates the Seireitei from the rest of Soul Society," Unohana said. "It is made of Sekkiseki, a rare type of stone that negates reiryoku." She smiled. "When you have more than three thousand souls with high reiryoku gathered in one place, it's rather hard –impossible, I should say –to mask their power. The Sekkiseki prevents the shinigami from destroying Soul Society with merely their presence."

"That powerful, huh?"

"Yes." She pointed at the gate. "This is the White Way Gate, the entrance to the Seireitei of the West. It is guarded by Jidanbo Ikkanzaka." She paused. "Despite his appearance, he is actually quite friendly."

The ground rocked beneath their feet. For a few seconds, Toshiro wondered if there was an earthquake. Then, a bulky man wearing a red hat with tassels jumped down on them, almost taking Toshiro off his feet. He wore armour on his upper left arm, and his black uniform exposed the left side of his chest.

Toshiro took a step back from the intimidating figure.

"Ikkanzaka-san," Unohana greeted serenely, not looking the least bothered at Ikkanzaka's exterior.

Ikkanzaka beamed, which made him look less like a giant gorilla and more like a giant chimpanzee. "Hello, Captain Unohana. How was your trip to the mountains?"

"It was quite interesting, thank you. As you can see, I have brought back a companion."

"A companion?" Ikkanzaka leaned down and eyed Toshiro with squinting eyes. "Powerful, this one. Even I can feel the reiatsu of the little boy."

Toshiro decided not to comment.

"Will you please open the gate, Ikkanzaka-san?" Unohana asked. "We have travelled far, and we would like to rest as soon as possible."

"Oh! Right..." Ikkanzaka turned around and gripped the huge gate. With a grunt, he lifted it off the ground and provided an opening spacious enough for them to pass through.

He couldn't keep his mouth from opening.

"In you go!" he said cheerfully.

She thanked Ikkanzaka and strolled through the gate.

Toshiro shook himself from his wonder and followed the captain.

Inside, the Seireitei was a bustling center of all things soul-related. Shinigami in black shihakusho frantically ran back and forth, carrying teetering stacks of paperwork. Colorful shops displaying all kinds of products lined the sides along with the barracks of each division.

"Ah!" Toshiro was suddenly rammed to the ground, papers flying all around. He stood up and noticed a flustered-looking young man with a white pack strapped across his back was gathering all the scattered paperwork, muttering nervously all the while.

"Seventh-seat Yamada," Unohana said.

Yamada froze, the last piece of paper in his hand leisurely drifting back down to the ground. He slowly turned, and looked at Unohana. He then bowed very low, stammering an agitated response. "C-captain! I-I didn't see you there!" He paled noticeably. "Um, I mean –"

"What do you have there?"

"Oh, um, a few shinigami from the Eighth were sent to Nabiku Ha yesterday, but they came back a few hours ago badly injured. So, um, uh..."

"I see." She smiled at Yamada, emitting a warm, gentle air that calmed the fretful shinigami. "Thank you." She continued walking, with Toshiro trailing behind.

"S-sorry about bumping into you!" Hanataro Yamada called out faintly to the strange white-haired boy following his captain.

She led him to what looked like the First division (the big kanji for "one" painted on the building gave it away).

A silvery-gray haired man approached them. "Captain Unohana. What brings you here?"

"Lieutenant Sasakibe, I would like to speak with the Head Captain, please."

His eyes switched to Toshiro. "And who is this?"

"This is my companion."

"I am afraid that the Head Captain is very busy right now. If you like, I'd be glad to schedule –"

"You do not understand." She gained that frighteningly intimidating expression of hers. "I have very important news for him. I'm sure that whatever he's doing, he would like to hear what I have to say."

Sasakibe blinked, then nodded. "Of course. I will inform him right now."

Toshiro snuck a look at Unohana. "You have that effect on people," he commented quietly.

"Yes."

She guided him through the seemingly never-ending maze of buildings and stood in front of a large door. Sasakibe was waiting for them. "He is inside."

She knocked gently on the hard wood. "Head Captain?"

"Come in."

She opened the door and ushered him in. She slid the door close behind him.

The office was spacious. A single wooden desk dominating the far wall was the only notable furniture in the entire room. The left side of the office boasted an impressive view of the Seireitei.

An old –_very_ old –man sat behind the desk, looking at them expectantly. Faded scars lined his head, and a white haori was draped over his back.

"Captain Unohana," he said.

"Head Captain Yamamoto."

The name registered to Toshiro. _Yamamoto..._ He was the man from his dream! He studied the man closely. The scars –yes, those should be the remnants of the deep wound he had sustained in that dream. The shape of his face vaguely resembled the man, but time had weathered his features, making it almost impossible to tell. The beard wasn't there before.

But there was no mistaking the red eyes.

These were the exact same pair as the one he had seen in the man from the dream.

Yamamoto noticed Toshiro standing behind Unohana. His ancient eyes examined him closely. "Who is this?"

She pushed him forward. "Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Yamamoto's eyebrows furrowed. "He..."

"He has an unusual amount of reiryoku," she said. "I would like for him to join the Gotei 13."

"What?" Toshiro exclaimed. His first time speaking that loud in front of Unohana. To be honest, he only expected them to help him control his unstable power. After all, he was a threat to Soul Society because of his mere existence. But to join the Gotei 13..?

"What?" Yamamoto echoed. Even though he had a good idea to who the boy was, he still found it surprising that Unohana had said that in front of the child.

Unohana had a calculating look plastered to her face. "Please. I have reasons." Her eyes darted to Toshiro. "Hitsugaya, please wait outside. We have things to discuss."

He complied, but not before muttering, "I may not have much experience with you people, and my appearance may not reflect my true age, but I know enough that I look too young to be a shinigami."

* * *

"Unohana," Yamamoto said as soon as Hitsugaya left. "He looks a lot like..."

Retsu nodded. She knew he would recognize him. "You know what this means?

"I'm afraid so." Yamamoto clasped his fingers. "I received your message about Nabiku Ha. The shinigami sent to investigate have returned badly injured. As of now, we do not know who or what attacked them. According to Lieutenant Inoue, it may possibly be a hollow, but there were also signs that they were attacked with a sword." He closed his eyes. "But Hitsugaya's arrival... His resemblance... I fear the worst."

Retsu nodded. "You heard the rumors?"

"Yes. An officer from the Seventh had overheard a few souls from Inuzuri talking about the dark aura that had descended in some of the more dangerous districts. Disappearances. Raised level of violence. But Nabiku Ha is the first that I've heard of an entire district disappearing."

"Do you remember?" Retsu asked softly. "The war?"

He nodded. "We must prepare." He stood up. "I will call a captain's meeting immediately."

Her head snapped up. "You are going to tell them?"

He shook his head. "No. I do not think they are ready to know the truth yet. I will tell them to raise their defences, alert the shinigami, prepare for an attack." He picked up a piece of paper and wrote a note. "As for Hitsugaya, give him a set of shihakusho. I doubt he'd want to go around in the same white clothes he wears."

Retsu blinked, surprised. "But shouldn't he go to the Academy first?" She thought of his uncontrolled powers, and almost shuddered to think what he would do to those who came near him without her presence.

"Yes, but I have had reports of a few strange occurrences from the Academy. Especially with the staff." He frowned. "If _they_ had broken through our barriers and managed to infiltrate the Academy, then he would be safer with other shinigami around him."

"But –"

"And I shall put you in charge of his education, Unohana. Get help from others if you want, but make sure that he is able to protect himself from any harm –hollows or otherwise. As for his lodgings, ask the captains. I have a spare room in my division, but let him decide where he wants to stay. Don't put him in the barracks though. I have a feeling that the shinigami will not take kindly sharing a barrack with a child."

Unohana caught the steely look in his eyes and knew that the discussion is over. "Yes, Head Captain."

* * *

Toshiro, now successfully kicked out of the office, leaned against the wall and stared with faint amusement at Lieutenant Sasakibe.

"What's your name?" Sasakibe asked.

Toshiro stared.

"How did you meet Captain Unohana?"

Stared.

"Why are you not answering my questions?"

Stared.

"Please stop staring."

Stared.

Sasakibe gave up and simply waited for the two shinigami inside the room to finish. He tapped his fingers against the random mahogany table with a porcelain vase of purple chrysanthemums situated outside the office.

After five minutes, Toshiro smirked. It was fun messing with the guy. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Sasakibe jumped, then looked at the boy who had stared at him for the past five minutes. And who was still staring. "I am Chojiro Sasakibe."

Nothing was said for the next few minutes.

Thankfully (in Sasakibe's opinion), the door slid open and Unohana emerged.

"Hitsugaya, come with me."

It was almost nightfall, and the few remaining shinigami outside were straggling back to their designated barracks, intent on giving themselves a good night's sleep. She escorted him to a building that had the kanji for "four" painted on a wall. Inside, they were met with a corridor full of activity, even at this hour. Shinigami in pink nurse uniforms strode in and out of rooms, most carrying clipboards. As they passed, the nurses bowed, murmured their greetings, and rushed off to someplace where a person was undoubtedly in pain.

Unohana accompanied him to an empty room with stark white furniture. A single window was framed across the bed, showing the graceful branches of a pink cherry blossom tree hanging near the room. "You'll be staying here until I can arrange more permanent accommodations."

"It's very... white. Are you sure you can see me?"

Unohana laughed quietly. First time she'd heard him crack a joke. "I have a keen eye."

"Alright then."

Unohana closed the door, leaving Toshiro alone in his temporary room.

He laid back on the soft white blankets, reflecting that this was the first time he had ever rested on a bed.

**Don't tell that to anyone,** Hyorinmaru warned. **They'll pity you.**

_It's much more comfortable than snow._

**Of course. It's a bed.**

_Warmer too._

**Of course. It's a **_**bed.**_

_Are you trying to tell me something?_

**Was I not being clear? **_**It's a bed.**_

_Cheeky dragon._

He heard an amused rumble in his mind and smiled to himself.

He looked out the window and discerned the crescent moon behind the branches. It was a perfect replica of the moon carved on the ceiling of his old cave. _But the real one is better._

He let out an exhausted sigh and let sleep seal his weary eyes, forgetting about the dreams that he knew would plague his slumber.

* * *

***Fluttering Leaves –I have no idea what the eightieth district of West Rukongai is called. I don't think it's ever mentioned.  
**

****Hunting Vulture –same situation with the eightieth district.**

**Also, you know Jidanbo? Whenever I see him, I always thought he looked a lot like an ape. No offense to him. It's just what I think.**

**And yeah, you read right. _Lieutenant Inoue._**


	3. Setting the Set

**So sorry I've been neglecting this story. I've had the chapter written two-thirds of the way a week ago, but I couldn't figure out how to wrap it up. Thanks to bleach hui for reminding me that this story actually existed.**

**This chapter doesn't really have anything going on in it, except for the last part (it hints -largely -at one of the biggest changes I made). It just sets the set.  
**

**Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, blabbity blah blah...  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Setting the Set  
**

_He watched with dejection as the stunning blonde woman with obsidian eyes disintegrate the two brave souls who dared attempt to fight her. Their deaths were swift and painless._

Simple farmers dragged into a fight between the celestials,_ he reflected sadly. _This is what _they_ have done.

_He raised his head to the high heavens, silently pleading for help from his masters. _I cannot do this alone...

_He fingered his zanpakuto, as the villagers had chosen to call it. _Are you ready?

_A wise voice resonated deep inside his inner world. __**I am.**_

_As he advanced toward the beautiful personification of evil, he felt something sing sweetly in his heart. His intuition told him that something was about to happen. Something big. Something divine._

_The gods were about to intervene._

* * *

Toshiro stared at the glorious ball of fire rising above the horizon.

The dream had woken him far too early, but he couldn't bring himself back to sleep. He mentally reviewed his most recent vision. He felt his hand creeping up to his chest, where remnants of the sound echoed like a choir of golden bells inside his frozen world. He clutched his worn out robes and tried to calm down his beating heart. His thought turned to the beautiful woman. She was undoubtedly the most striking person he had ever seen –which isn't really saying much considering the way he lived just a few days ago. Her ivory-toned skin, her flowing golden hair, her dark, cruel eyes...

_Her dark, cruel eyes._

_Dark cruel eyes... Which used to be so bright and kind... A dazzling shade of sapphire..._

"Good morning, Hitsugaya-san."

The gentle voice of Retsu Unohana jarred him out of his thoughts. He turned from his position on the floor and saw the captain holding a lump of black clothing in her arms.

"Good morning, Unohana-san," he whispered. A pair of black orbs remained in his thoughts.

"I brought you some clothing." She held out the garments. "The tailors had to work very hard to get you these on time, since there weren't any your size."

He accepted it with a murmur of thanks. He fiddled with the sturdy fabric, wondering if it could withstand the reiatsu he was always radiating.

As soon as Unohana left, he dumped the new clothes unceremoniously on the bed. He was almost reluctant to take off the robes he was wearing now. After all, it had served him during all those years in the cave without even tearing once.

He donned the black uniform. The new kimono was stiff and uncomfortable at first, but he reasoned that the strong fibers were necessary to withstand all the fighting that shinigami do. He'll break them in eventually.

Fully clad once again, he went back to staring at the sun through the window. No matter how many times he watched, he couldn't help but feel sorrowful; like it was the last time he was ever going to see it.

_What brought that on?_ he wondered.

* * *

There was nothing to do inside the room.

Absolutely nothing.

Toshiro was very grateful to Unohana that she had lent him a room, but the whiteness and lack of entertainment had left him a bit resentful of the woman. The room felt like a jail cell to him. He had never even _been_ to a jail cell.

_He gripped the bars and poured his power into the metal. Once it shattered, he knew he didn't have much time. The guards would be upon him in less than a minute. Nevertheless, he felt quite smug._

He blinked.

A quiet knock on the door pulled him from his reverie. A girl wearing the standard black shihakusho with a pair of flower hair clips pinned to her kimono entered, carrying a tray laden with food in her hands. "Good morning," she greeted cheerily. "I'm Orihime Inoue, lieutenant of the Fourth division. You can call me Orihime. Would you like some breakfast?" She set the tray on the desk. "I made it myself. Scrambled eggs with seaweed, squid, and bananas; a cup of tea laced with peanut butter and grape juice; and a bowl of rice with fish paste!"

He stared. He didn't have much experience with eating food, but those ingredients sounded like they shouldn't go together.

"Eat up before it gets cold!" She placed a pair of wooden chopsticks along with the food.

Toshiro cautiously approached the tray. The food looked normal enough (surprisingly), but looks can be deceiving.

Under the watchful eye of the lieutenant, he popped some of the scrambled egg in his mouth...

... And proceeded to choke it down his esophagus.

"Well?" she asked intensely. "How is it?"

He swallowed, then tried not to vomit it back up. That would be rude. And smelly.

"You're looking a bit green," she said with concern. "Are you allergic to something?"

He shook his head and managed to say, "It's great."

"Yay! Not many people like my cooking, you know." She sighed sadly. "I don't know why."

He stifled the urge to tell her _exactly_ why.

"I was starting to think there was something wrong with my taste buds, but Captain Unohana assured me that they're fine... Oh! I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

He reached for the tea, then thought better of it. He really didn't want to know what tea with peanut butter and grape juice would taste like. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya."

"Nice to meet you, Hitsugaya-kun!" She held out the bowl of rice. "Would you like some more?"

He opened his mouth to decline, but stopped at the hopeful look in her eyes as she bent down to his eye level. It was so big and bright... And that wasn't the only big thing in his line of vision.

He reluctantly accepted the bowl of rice and readied his chopsticks. It was only fish paste... It couldn't be that bad...

Orihime was wide-eyed when she saw her new friend tilt his head. "Well?"

"It's very salty," he said in his quiet voice.

"Really?" She tried some of the rice. "Tastes fine to me."

"Mmhmm." He put the bowl back on the tray. "Must've been me."

She beamed.

"But I'm not very hungry," he continued. "I had a big dinner the night before."

"Oh. Okay then." She picked up the tray with one hand and opened the door with another. "It was nice meeting you, Hitsugaya-kun. See you around."

He courteously waited a minute before dashing to the window. He stuck his head out and frantically breathed in fresh air. _I am not going to barf... Not going to barf..._

* * *

"I heard you met my lieutenant," Unohana commented with a warm smile.

He bobbed his head.

"I heard she gave you breakfast." Noticing his slight wince, she gave a small laugh. "It's quite alright. Orihime is good at many things, but cooking is not one of them. I believe Matsumoto is the only one who can stomach her food."

"That's nice," he said politely. He made a mental note to avoid one Matsumoto's cooking in the future.

"But she, unlike Orihime, is a decent cook." Unohana stood up and smoothed her uniform. "I know you don't particularly like being locked up inside such a small room. So I talked to Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth division, and he agreed to take you in."

"Really? Why would he do that?"

"Your names sound alike." At his confused face, she elaborated, "His name is Jyu_shiro_, your name is To_shiro_."

"He let me into his division... because of that?"

"Yes."

As he digested this new information, he had a feeling that this captain wasn't the strangest of them all.

"I'll take you to the Thirteenth. It's quite far, and it would take us most of the morning to get there."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky by the time they stood in front of the Thirteenth division.

They were welcomed in by two quarrelling shinigami.

"I'm taking them to see Captain!" the man yelled.

"No, I am!" the girl yelled. "He told me to get them!"

"He was looking at me when he said so!"

"His face was turned to me!"

The two continued bickering for five minutes before Unohana cleared her throat. "Thank you for the kind gesture, but your guidance is not needed." She smiled. "His medicine is almost ready though, and Captain Ukitake would be very grateful if you can fetch it for him in the Fourth division."

"Yes, Captain Unohana!" they shouted. They turned and ran, pushing and tripping over each other in their haste to the Fourth.

Toshiro could only stare.

"Ukitake's two fourth-seats," Unohana said with a hint of amusement. "They're a handful, but you'll get used to it. Hopefully."

He didn't like the sound of that.

They made their way through the barracks, dodging curious shinigami every now and then. They stopped in front of a small house in a giant pond.

"Come in," a man's voice said as Unohana knocked.

Kneeling behind a low table with a cup of (normal) green tea, a white-haired man wearing a white haori beamed with excitement. "Retsu!"

"Jyushiro," she said serenely. "Yes, I brought him." She stepped aside and revealed the Thirteenth's new addition.

Toshiro studied the man before him. He seemed nice enough, and his white hair was another thing they had in common. He looked frail, like he was about to go into a coughing fit any moment now. Even so, the bright energy in his eyes made up for his fragile state.

"Hello there." The man rose and shook his hand vigorously. "I am Jyushiro Ukitake. Retsu told me your name is Toshiro? It kind of sounds like mine, doesn't it?"

"Yes..."

"Do you like candy?"

"What?"

Ukitake shot to a small desk and rummaged through the drawers. "I know I have it here somewhere... Aha!" He pulled out a big basket with colourful eggs and chocolate bunnies (how can something so big fit in such a small drawer?). "I know it's out of season, but here you go!"

Toshiro almost staggered from the weight. It was so heavy!

"I'm sorry, that was my last batch," Ukitake said apologetically. "Yachiru visited yesterday, and I hadn't had the time to restock. I'll send Kiyone and Sentaro for more tomorrow."

"No, thank you," he muttered. "I think I have enough to last a couple of years."

Ukitake turned back to Unohana, thanking her and leading her out the door.

The door slid shut, and Ukitake faced his not-really-subordinate. "So," he said, clapping his hands, "do you want to meet the division?"

* * *

The Thirteenth division was very welcoming... well, about ten percent of them were. It seemed that Ukitake's friendliness hadn't seeped into his subordinates.

Ukitake's lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, was friendly ("None of that Shiba-san; call me Kaien!"). He introduced Toshiro to his wife, Third-seat Miyako Shiba, and "my good friend, Rukia Kuchiki!"

Rukia Kuchiki was the sister of a high-ranking noble called Byakuya Kuchiki, who happened to be the captain of the Sixth.

"Hello," she said, bowing.

Toshiro returned her greeting and bowed back, which seemed to surprise her for a moment. He sensed her cool reiatsu, so similar to his, and felt a strange camaraderie with her, even though they had only met briefly.

"Hey, Toshiro," said Kaien, "have you met Ichigo?"

"Who?" he asked blankly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Lieutenant of the Tenth. A lot of people think we look alike –hell, some of them think we're long-lost brothers –and I want some new opinions here."

He dragged Toshiro to the Tenth division, where they were greeted by an orange-haired teenager (who, admittedly, looked a lot like Kaien) and a tall, muscled shinigami with dark skin.

"Yo, Kaien," said the orange top. "Who's the kid?"

"Hey, Ichigo!" Kaien said. "This is Toshiro Hitsugaya!"

"The new kid?" Kurosaki focused on the short child. "Yeah, I heard Unohana talk to my dad about him."

"You mean, you eavesdropped," Kaien said carelessly.

"Whatever." Kurosaki rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Dad was all for letting him stay here, but _for some reason_ Unohana declined and decided to ask Ukitake instead."

Kaien chortled. "Captain Kurosaki still assaults you in your sleep?"

"Every single day."

"It's times like this that makes me so thankful for having Ukitake as a captian. Oh, hey Chad! Didn't see you there."

The dark-skinned man raised an eyebrow.

"This is Yasutora Sado," Kaien said to Toshiro. "Lieutenant of the Seventh. Everyone calls him Chad because of Ichigo."

"Chad is a much cooler name," Kurosaki said defensively.

"I'll take your word for it, Kurosaki-san." Toshiro didn't really know anything about "cool names."

"Don't call me that. Makes me feel old. Like my dad." He shuddered.

"I AM NOT OLD!" A blur of gray slammed into Ichigo, who barely managed to twist away and avoid the worst of the impact.

"Get off me!" Ichigo yelled.

"Okay." The man stood up, his haori billowing in the sudden wind, and flashed a triumphant smile at Ichigo. "I caught you off guard."

"That's because I didn't think you would be stupid enough to do anything while I'm talking to _the very same person_ that you wanted in your division!"

"Who?" He turned, then caught sight of Toshiro. "Hey there!"

Toshiro stared at the strange captain who had just attacked his own son in front of at least two dozen shinigami and acted like it was a natural occurrence.

"So, you're the kid Unohana found in the mountains? Were you raised by bears?"

"What –"

"Wolves?"

"Um –"

"Are you a werewolf?"

"No!"

"How did you survive?"

By the time the fifth question came up, Toshiro was almost dazed from the eccentric captain.

Ichigo bashed a fist on his captain's head. "Shut up. The kid's going into shock."

"Ow..." (elder) Kurosaki rubbed his head, then bent down to look Toshiro in the eye. "I have two precious twin daughters about your age... or what looks like your age... Their names are Yuzu and Karin. They're going to the Academy in a few decades, when they're old enough." He sniffed. "And here you are, wearing a shinigami's uniform, and not even graduated."

"Dad!" Ichigo pulled him back. "Sorry about that. His first impressions aren't usually this bad. I swear."

"It's okay." That was about all that Toshiro could articulate.

"I'm sure you three are very busy," Kaien said graciously, "so we'll get going now. Bye, Ichigo, Chad, Captain Kurosaki."

Kaien dragged him away from the father/son duo and the silent giant.

"Well?" he asked once they were far enough. "What do you think of Ichigo?"

"He looks a lot like you."

"Damn!"

* * *

A silver arrow whizzed through the air and pierced the hollow's arm.

The chubby woman it had held a moment ago dropped into the teen's white-clad arm. He set her down gently, being careful of her injuries. He ignored the hollow's roar behind him.

"Thank you," she croaked, blood spilling out of her mouth.

"Don't speak," he ordered. "Your lungs are pierced."

The teen pivoted, avoiding the spikes that shot out of the hollow's mouth. He shot another spirit arrow at the corrupt spirit, careful not to hit the mask. _Come on, hurry up!_

The hollow snarled, then launched itself at the Quincy.

The Quincy raised his bow, but he needn't have bothered.

"Bakudo 4, Hainawa!" A shinigami had stepped into the fight and entangled the hollow's arms with a spell. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, then pointed at the woman. "She isn't. I'm going to carry her to the hospital. Think you can handle this alone?"

"Are you kidding?" The shinigami parried another attack. "This is the first time I've been out in a while. I'm going to enjoy this as much as possible."

The Quincy rolled his eyes behind the glasses. "Shinigami..."

"So, you're Uryu Ishida? I heard you're a genius among the Quincys."

"And who might you be?"

She barked out, "Growl, Haineko!" Her zanpakuto turned to ash, surrounding the large hollow in seconds. She swung the hilt, and numerous gashes and cuts appeared all over the hollow's body. It stumbled back, and she used the opportunity to gather all the ashes around its head and cleanse it with a single swing.

The beautiful shinigami stretched and sighed contentedly, like a cat who had just finished her beauty nap. "Rangiku Matsumoto, Third-seat of the Tenth division."

* * *

**By the way, I'm not sure how to say Quincy in plural form. Or shinigami. So bear with me; I'm not going to add an "s" at the end of shinigami (it sounds [and looks] weird... shinigamis...), and I'm not going to change "Quincy" to "Quincies." Reasons for this will be discovered later (but it's not really that important).  
**

**Reviews will ensure that I don't forget about this again! (Well, not really, I'll probably forget it at some point again, but I like reviews).  
**

**OH! By the way, I'm working on another project called The January/Midwinter Conspiracy (I can't decide which title sounds better... I'm probably gonna go with January though... what do you think?), along with random one-shots, so I'm going to be very sporadic about updating each of my stories. Sorry.  
**


	4. The Dragon's Zanpakuto

**Yeah... I have nothing to say this time. I have no right to rant after all those weeks of no update.  
**

**Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo -san.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Dragon's Zanpakuto  
**

"So," Ukitake said, sipping his tea, "how is your first week?"

Toshiro shifted. "It's alright." He hadn't tried to talked to the other shinigami, and they hadn't made much of an effort either. Most of them had already forgotten his name; they simply knew him as "that kid." He didn't think of it as an insult. For all he knew, he could be so old, being called a kid was actually a compliment. He wasn't ignorant of the rumours, though. His white hair, his unusual-coloured eyes, his barely-controlled icy reiatsu –these were the source of some odd and particularly scathing gossip.

("... Unohana purified him from a demon –that's why he has white hair!")

("He was brought through the Dangai without being purified...")

("Ukitake's son?")

("... Host of the Hougyoku...")

("Used to be a Vasto Lorde...")

("... Killed all those souls in Rukongai...")

A snort was heard from the corner. Kaien was making another pot of tea. "Don't lie. I've seen you around. You're not very good at socializing."

_Wrong, _Toshiro thought. It's not that he was bad at making conversation (although that may be part of it), it's that they were afraid of him. Only the seated officers and the more powerful unseated could stand being around him without getting frost on their uniform. He really needed to work on that reiatsu control.

Ukitake smiled kindly. "It's just a matter of time."

"No, it's not that." Kaien brought the pot of tea to the low table and poured a hot cup for himself. "I talked to some of them and they're having a hard time accepting someone who hadn't even gone to the Academy –heck, he doesn't even have a zanpakuto, not even an asauchi."

And then there was that.

Kaien brightened. "I heard you already know your zanpakuto's name. Is it true?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

Kaien started to roll his eyes, but stopped by a sudden realization. "Right. You've been living like a hermit for who knows how long." He stood up and rummaged through a shallow wooden chest situated on the side. "We always have spares in case someone looses theirs... Pretty stupid of them to do that... Ah!" He pulled out a plain, short sword. He twirled it experimentally and tested its weight. "It's a bit short, but the medium-length asauchi definitely won't fit you." He sat back down and handed the asauchi to Toshiro. "Here."

Toshiro looked perplexedly at the nameless zanpakuto on his lap. "I don't know how to use a sword." His zanpakuto never taught him swordplay. Only ice-manipulation.

The lieutenant smacked his forehead. "Right! Forgot again." He grinned, rubbing his hands together. "I've never had a chance to teach at the Academy, so I guess this is the next best thing. Captain, can I steal him from you?"

Ukitake nodded, a faint hint of amusement decorating his face. "Of course."

He grabbed Toshiro's arm in a vice-like grip and dragged him all the way to the training grounds. He sat under the shade of a tree and invited the new shinigami to do the same. "Yes, so this is how it goes –"

"Excuse me," Toshiro interrupted. "What are we doing?"

"I am going to teach you how to obtain your zanpakuto."

"What?" It seems that all Toshiro had been doing was ask questions. "But I already have Hyorinmaru..."

"Yes," Kaien agreed. "Hopefully, that will make this easier. You're going to need to know how to use your zanpakuto to protect yourself." He drew his zanpakuto and settled it on his lap. "This is Nejibana. He's a water-type." He grinned sheepishly. "When I first got my zanpakuto... It's pretty ironic. We had the weekend off. There's this lake near the outskirts of Junrinan –absolutely beautiful in the summer. I was swimming... I've always had an affinity with water..." He coughed. "Anyway, I was in the middle of the lake, when suddenly a huge, fish-like hollow burst out of the depths and tried to impale me with its tail. I dove underwater, but the shockwave from its tail sent me way under." His eyes went because hazy. "I thought I was going to drown... There was so much water... I don't know what happened. I think I blacked out, but I found myself in my inner world.

"There was water everywhere. I panicked for a moment there, trying to swim upwards –or what I assumed was upwards. Then, a light appeared in the distance. I thought it was the hollow. I heard a voice in my head, a soothing voice like spring water flowing over rocks. I couldn't hear it properly, but I did catch something.

"'Use me,' it said. I wasn't sure what the voice meant, but when I came to –underwater, in the lake –I felt this weird, adrenaline rush." He let out a breath. "Whoo! It was one of the most amazing experiences in my life –or death, whatever we shinigami do. Power equal to raging tsunamis rushing through your veins; the knowledge that every single drop of water can crush that hollow like a bug; the very feeling that your power is at its peak... There's nothing in the world like it."

He sighed. "I wasn't drowning anymore. The water was suddenly my friend, the lake my weapon, and the hollow stood no chance." He grinned widely. "Man, the hollow was totally annihilated! It was awesome! The water was rising up, and –" He saw Toshiro's puzzled look and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Oh, right. The point is, the zanpakuto will decide when or where it will materialize itself to you; whether you're worthy or not."

Toshiro nodded.

"What? I tell you an awesome story, and all you do is nod?" He nosed his way into Toshiro's personal space. "You can do better than that!"

He leaned back. "Um –"

"Say, 'That was an awesome story, Captain Kaien!'"

"I –"

"Say it!"

"That was an awesome story, Captain Kaien."

Kaien beamed brightly and gave him a thumbs up. "Was that so hard?" He ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid. I'm sure your zanpakuto will appear soon –as a weapon, I mean."

"Thanks..."

"What was that? I can't hear you."

He forced his voice louder. "Thank you."

Kaien stood up and stretched his arms, bending his back in the process. "You have to speak up more, if you want to meet more people."

Toshiro shrugged. "The shinigami here don't seem to like me, and that's fine with me."

Kaien frowned disapprovingly, then scrunched up his face. "Judgemental idiots..." He plucked a strand of fine white hair from Toshiro's head. "I'm surprised most shinigami haven't noticed yet. If they did, they're doing a very good job at not mentioning it."

The younger (or is he?) shinigami looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"You haven't met the rest of the high-ranking officers, but one thing that I noticed is that all of them are unusual in some way." He shook his head. "Must be powerful-shinigami thing."

Toshiro decided to refrain from stating his opinion.

"If that's the case, then..." He gasped mockingly. "Oh, no! I'm not odd enough!" He winked jokingly. "At least I'm not alone. You're plenty weird for both of us. That's a compliment."

"Okay."

"Now, you're going to sit here and try to communicate with your zanpakuto. You already know his name, so if by the end of the week you still haven't summoned him, we'll have to take drastic measures."

"Drastic measures?"

He shrugged. "You know, throwing you in front of a bloodthirsty hollow, or something like that. Good luck!" He sat beside a rock and promptly fell asleep.

Sitting under the shade of a tree, Toshiro stroked the asauchi, closed his eyes, and entered his inner world.

A never-ending plain of white greeted his sight. Familiar arctic winds battered his body as an ice dragon emerged from the sky and landed in front of him with an audible thump.

The zanpakuto greeted him with his deep, sonorous voice. **Child.**

"Dragon."

He lowered his head to look at the dwarfed shinigami at eye level. The tip of his tail twitched with satisfaction. **You are different.**

"Different how?"

**You are not as ignorant as before.**

"Considering how I lived before, I think it's unavoidable."

**You are also more willing to take risks.**

He furrowed his brow. "How would you know that?"

**Because it is starting,** he rumbled contentedly.

"What is starting?"

**You want to wield me.** He leaned back and closed his eyes. Toshiro watched in awe as the dragon was engulfed in a white aura and changed into his human form for the first time. The zanpakuto now resembled a human wearing purple samurai garb, but not entirely. Ice covered his arms and legs. A dragon-like tail swished behind him, barely disturbing the fragile snowflakes drifting behind. He raised a hand and spoke using his mouth. "I have been waiting for a long time. I shall lend you my claws, but only after you have proved yourself capable, will I serve you with my wings."

The gentle breeze suddenly turned violent. Clouds gathered overhead, rolling and grumbling. Snow pounded him from all sides, but a select few glowing with power gathered in his right hand, vaguely taking the shape of a long katana.

"Go," Hyorinmaru ordered. He didn't wait for a reply. He lifted his tail and pushed the bewildered boy out of his world.

"Hey!"

Toshiro's eyes flew open, only to find himself nose-to-nose with Ukitake's crazy fourth-seats, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki. "Ah!" He pressed himself against the tree.

The two officers stepped back, shivering from the unexpected cold power that blasted from him. Frost started to grow on their arms. "Control your reiatsu. It's ruining the captain's garden!"

He slowed his breathing, then threw them an irritated glace. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Kotetsu asked.

"Leaning so close to me!"

"We thought there was a fly on your nose," Kotsubaki explained.

"... What?"

"Your face was all scrunched up, and we heard this weird buzzing, so –"

He stopped listening. The cold, vibrating sensation he was feeling in the asauchi was taking the fuzzy image of a smooth, green hilt. He gazed in fascination as it continued to morph, the blade growing longer than his entire body. The throbbing stopped, and the image of a long, unique katana solidified into existence.

"Hey! Nice zanpakuto!"

"Huh?" Toshiro scuttled to the side as Kotsubaki bent down even more.

"You got yours already?" Kotetsu said.

Kotsubaki's eyes windened. "I'm going to tell Captain!"

"Wha –WAIT! I'm going to tell Captain!" Kotetsu raced after Kotsubaki.

_I wonder how they got such high positions,_ he thought.

**Baffling, indeed,** Hyorinmaru agreed.

_You!_

**Yes?**

_You can't just kick me out of my inner world like that!_

**I just did.**

_Grr!_ He rolled his eyes. _Your scales aren't the only thick things you have._

**I had a reason,** he said defensively. **If I hadn't kicked out you, those two would have most likely done worse than invade your personal space.**

_What..._ He sighed. _You know what, never mind._

He could hear the dragon's snort of triumph. Ignoring the zanpakuto, he stood up and examined the blade before him. _Long._ He wondered how he was supposed to carry it.

_Why is it so long?_

**Because you're so short. It's to compensate for your lack of reach. **

_I'm sure there's an insult in there..._

He wandered over to Kaien, who surprisingly still hasn't woken up despite Kotetsu and Kotsubaki's loudness. "Lieutenant Shiba –"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" Kaien's hand shot out and landed on a startled Toshiro's head. "It's Kaien! Or Captain Kaien, if you want." He cracked open an eye. "Something you want?"

"Kaien... I have my zanpakuto."

"What?" He sat up and gaped at the zanpakuto. "You actually managed it on your first try?" He smiled. "You've got some natural talent there. Maybe you'll be a prodigy. It's about time someone takes the title away from Ichimaru." His smile faltered.

He asked, "Who's Ichimaru?"

"Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Third division." Kaien's smile completely disappeared. "Graduated from the Academy in one year –better than I did. He's considered as one of the most talented prodigies the Academy has ever seen." He frowned. "I don't know him all that well. His division's pretty far away from here, so we never had any contact. I only know him by reputation. I heard he smiles." He scratched his head. "I'm not sure what they mean by that, though... They say it like it's a bad thing. Captain Ichimaru is also known for his... distinctive tactics. Izuru –he's Ichimaru's lieutenant –once told me that his captain likes to toy with his opponent before finishing him off swiftly with one powerful strike."

"Oh..."

Kaien's smile reappeared. "But, hey, enough about Ichimaru. You've got your zanpakuto! A bit long, isn't it?"

"Yeah... Apparently, it's to compensate for my lack of reach."

"Makes sense. How you're going to carry it represents a problem." He pondered for a moment. "Even if you carry it on your back, like Ichigo does with that big-ass shikai knife of his, it still won't work. The bottom will drag on the ground, and you won't be able to reach the hilt."

Toshiro looked doubtfully at the zanpakuto. _How can I fight if I can't even carry you properly?_

**You can just carry me in your arms. Wait a few decades –or centuries; I'm sure by then, you'll be tall enough to be able to carry me on your back.**

_Again, I sense an insult..._

Kaien snapped his fingers, jarring him out of his thoughts. "You spaced out a bit. Talking to your zanpakuto?"

"Not anymore."

"Sorry."

"He said I'm too short, and I should just carry him around in my arms instead."

He chuckled. "Maybe you should." He called out to a couple of passing shinigami, "Tell Captain Ukitake that I'm training Toshiro!"

* * *

Momo Hinamori led her squad of shinigami along the beaten track. "Anyone find anything?"

No one did.

She sighed. Captain Aizen had sent her to Inuzuri to investigate the mysterious disappearances, and she really wanted to find out as much as she could. Her captain rarely sent her out on missions like this. She remembered the shinigami who were sent to examine the situation, and shivered. If the situation was bad enough that they had to send a lieutenant... She cannot mess this up. She cannot betray the trust her captain bestowed upon her.

She stopped, and turned to her subordinates. "I think we'll have more chance of finding something if we split up. Sato, you, Nakamura, and Kobayashi go east. Tanaka, you, Tsukuda, and Yukimoto go west. Ueno and Kimura, you go with me. Let's go!"

She led her two comrades deeper into the abandoned district. Scattered trash crunched underfoot as they trudged along, looking for any signs of what might have happened. Briefly checking hut after hut, there was nothing. It was as if the souls vanished into thin air.

"Lieutenant Hinamori!" That was Sato's voice.

Exchanging alarmed glances with her companions, she shunpo'ed to Sato's location.

"Eek!"

"Ueno!" She looked back and saw Ueno stumbling, blood gushing out of a shoulder wound. She swiftly scanned their surroundings, but found no visible attackers. She drew Tobiume from her sheathe. _What is going on?_

She told Kimura to help Ueno and continued on to Sato's direction.

"Help!" Tsukada. In the opposite direction. She panicked. _Who should I go to?_ She sensed Sato's reiatsu rise, which meant he had to be using shikai. As suddenly as it spiked, it disappeared, along with Nakamura's and Kobayashi's. She suppressed a sob, and headed towards Tsukada. There was nothing she could do for Sato's group.

"All alone now."

Momo froze.

"You seem to be the most powerful of the bunch."

She felt a cold hand wrap around her body. She didn't move. She _couldn't_ move. Her breathing was laboured, and she saw dark spots moving in her vision.

"Not even going to struggle? At least the others put up a fight."

_Slash!_

Blood erupted from Momo's side. She experienced a throbbing, painful sting spread throughout her body. Poison? Her legs collapsed under her body. Her arms were immobile. It was as if glass shards were raining down upon her limbs. Still, her fingers refused to release her zanpakuto.

"Lieutenant!" The faint voice of Tsukada reached her ears. She gasped when she sensed her comrade's reiatsu disappear. A burst of raw power from an anonymous source, and Kimura's reiatsu vanished. _No!_ She couldn't just lie there while her subordinates were being picked off one by one.

"Snap!" Momo croaked.

Tobiume transformed, sprouting three additional branches on the blade. It glowed with pink power, concentrating on the bottom until a small fireball formed in near the hilt. The fireball pulsated slightly, looking much like a plum with a pulse. It swelled, growing bigger and more powerful by the second.

"Eh? What's this?"

_Boom!_

The lieutenant groaned. That took more effort than she thought.

"Heh, very impressive. That was at least lieutenant's level." _Shrring!_ "Now, it's my turn."

_("... __L-lieutenant? Lieutenant Hina –aaargh!")_

Momo's bloodcurdling scream could be heard throughout the district –if there were anyone around to hear.

* * *

**I feel like Momo's scene could've been written better, but I know how long it's been since I last updated, so...**


End file.
